www.aerotrope.com PRESS RELEASE: SAILROCKET IS FASTEST SAIL BOAT ON THE PLANET image©Sailrocket http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dokkkqBcyPQ&feature=share&list=UUcoYIGpTo2WCjyPkG0WvO2w “Sailrocket”, a boat designed in Britain has become the fastest sailboat on the planet. On Tuesday 12th November Vestas Sailrocket 2 reached a peak speed of 61.92 knots (71 mph or 115 kmh), averaging 54 knots over 500 metres while sailing off the shore of Walvis Bay, Namibia. The team around pilot Paul Larsen have spent the last 10 years chasing their dream to build the fastest boat, a record that was previously held by the French sailors of “Hydroptére”. Sailrocket’s average speed of 54 knots is just shy of the outright world speed sailing record, which currently stands at 55.65 knots and was set in 2010 by the US kite surfer Rob Douglas. The world record title is within the grasp of the Sailrocket team and can be broken any day now. Around the world the sailing community is following the campaign via Twitter, with immediate updates coming straight from ‘speed spot’ on the coast of the Atlantic ocean in Southern Africa. All runs are officially ratified by the WSSRC (World Sailing Speed Record Council). The unusual concept of the boat is the brain child of Malcolm Barnsley of Southampton and designed in collaboration with Aerotrope Ltd, wind energy engineers based in Brighton. Vestas engineer Barnsley credits the idea of the unsual aerohydrofoil to Bernard Smith, an American rocket scientist. The name “Sailrocket” illustrates the fact that she is half boat and half plane. She has a rigid wing for a sail, a glider‐shaped fuselage that seats the pilot, and she rests on three pods that effectively fly Sailrocket across the water while a foil counteracts the pull of the rigid wing. The first version of the boat reached 50 knots before famously crashing in a spectacular backflip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ow8QbXhZJU&feature=fvwrel After the backflip the team improved stability and handling on Sailrocket 2: Now she can handle sailing loads over 80 knots including a 1G turn with a realistic safety margin. The rigid wing sail is fully feathering, able to de‐power the boat instantly when the main sheet is eased. This means that pilot Paul Larsen is safe while pushing for ultimate speeds. With 54 knots Vestas Sailrocket 2 has written herself into the history books of yacht speed, and it looks like she is here to stay. Interested in this story? Contact Heike Feldpausch, Aerotrope Ltd. on 01273 571932 or email [email protected] For more information or photos, please contact: Heike Feldpausch, Business Development and Marketing Chris Hornzee‐Jones or Wang Feng, co‐designers of Sailrocket 01273‐571932 [email protected] To read more about the “Sailrocket” project: http://aerotrope‐engineers.com/ Aerotrope’s blog http://www.sailrocket.com/blogs official Vestas Sailrocket website, blog and Twitter VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjCRxKs2QgY 50 knots with a journalist onboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzkulFGa4Mc Sailrocket vs. Hydroptére http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5T08pV‐MBU The design team at work image©Sailrocket Team Aerotrope ©Aerotrope Interested in this story? Contact Heike Feldpausch, Aerotrope Ltd. on 01273 571932 or email [email protected] .